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A Fool in the Rain: Seeking Absolution in Casablanca
Why is Rick Blaine in Casablanca? The question threads through the entire film, as we see Rick come to the aid of those who seem bent on leaving for the safety of American shores and liberties. Curtiz weaves Rick’s own personal quest through the narrative of his film, suggesting that while the film’s unlikely hero longs for healing, he still bears the unhealable wound of love. Over the course of the film, Curtiz implements flashbacks to Paris where “Richard” spend a season with Ilsa amid the final peaceful moments before the German invasion. These wounds send him to Casablanca, seeking solace, seeking meaning and healing from his wounded psyche and manhood, stemming from Ilsa’s sudden departure and reappearance as Laszlo’s wife. When asked why he comes to Casablanca in the first part, Rick claims he came “for the magic waters” seeking healing or a cure from his sickness, which is spiritual malaise, lovesick innature. Instead of the pure fount of longevity and cure, he drowns himself (alone) in alcohol, liquid forgetfulness in attempts to ward off his longings and feelings for his lost love. The one dimensional nature of Rick fails to occupy or trick the curious, for we see his past heroism and acts of rebellion against machines of war or tyranny. Lying dormant in his heart, he wants to help others, as he has done in the past. Helping the Spanish overthrow the dictators, running planes and supplies out to rebel troops in the East - his past is pocked with efforts to resist corruption and fight perilous authority. Yet - now, trapped in Casablanca with some money and authority - he wants to run his “gin joint” on his own terms - terms which seem to shift when infiltrated by the German regime, although Casablanca is unoccupied France. When the flashback takes us back to Paris and their love affair, Curtiz shows the final moments on the train - as Rick waits for his love in vain. The rain begins to descend, coating, saturating his clothes and attire - leaving him drowning in grief over Ilsa’s absence and apparent change of plan. The rain falls - he drowns. Will he ever resurface? Sure, Curtiz provides us an end to the quest he seeks - and provides Rick with another chance to redeem himself and seek absolution once and for all for his crimes against authority. His “destiny has taken a hand” is not his manta - yet he adopts it to try and orchestrate his lifelong reunion with Ilsa, but in the end, he will revert back to his memorable heroism - and let Victor leave with his wife. His redemption stands complete - his wound forever open and pulsating. Page and Plant: Ode to Rick In the 70s, Robert Plant and Jimmy Page, wrote the song, “Fool in the Rain.” A man left standing on a corner, waiting for his love as the rain pounds down. The “fool” serves as an ode to Rick, "And the storm that he thought would blow over/ Clouds the light of the love that he found." The cover of their album In Through the Out Door looks familiar, doesn't it? Notice the bar scene and the ambiance. What if it is a tribute to Bogart? Yet is Rick the fool on the wrong block? Sure, he plays the Hemingway hero - confronts his own mortality, faces the inevetable loss. Can a hero who risks his life for the safety and justice of others really lose the girl in the final scene? Curtiz tampers with narrative history here as he deviates from the norm - subverting the ending and removing love once again. Are we to be satisfied with Rick's platonic friendship with the Captain, as they stroll into safety together? Perhaps Curtiz, like other artists before him, had lost faith in the persistance and victory of love? Maybe, he suggests other bonds are stronger, more rewarding. Ilsa lives with Viktor in safety, but is that enough? Silving Linings The newly released film, Silver Lining Playbook, directed by David O. Russell, critiques the tragic endings of fine literature, as Bradley Cooper, Pat Solitano, reads the end of A Farewell to Arms and causes an uproar in his sleeping house. The ending pains him, for he has invested his time and energy in the love story between Henry and Catherine only to find her dead at the end of the novel. Curtiz seems to capitalize on the Hemingway Code Hero and structure Rick's character around the myth of the man himself. Rick's final scene suggests for him the "silver lining" came when he let her go. And like Matthew Quick states in the novel which inspired ''SLP, ''“When he needed help most, he was abandoned--and only when he offered help to others was he beloved.”